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Police staffing, Newfoundland and Labrador

Sworn officers, civilian staff, funded positions, and the work each officer carries. Province-wide and by service, from the Police Administration Survey.

Justice and public safetyWhat is reported to police, what happens to cases in court, who is in custody, and who polices the province. Four Statistics Canada surveys, shown as filed.

Police staffing, Newfoundland and Labrador

Officers in place, positions funded, and the work each officer carries. RNC and RCMP together, then by service. Figures below are for 2025.

870 Police officers 158 per 100,000 people
115 Funded positions unfilled 12 in 100 funded positions empty 985 positions funded.
47.7 Criminal Code incidents per officer Highest year on record: 2025.
26.4 Weighted clearance rate 26 in 100 weighted incidents solved
Officers in place 870Funded but unfilled 115Civilian staff 370

228 of the officers, 26 per cent, are women.

Officers and funded positions, 1986 to 2025

0 375 750 1,125 1,5001986 — Officers in place: 8791986 — Funded but unfilled: 2371987 — Officers in place: 9161988 — Officers in place: 9041988 — Funded but unfilled: 31989 — Officers in place: 8961989 — Funded but unfilled: 2141990 — Officers in place: 9041991 — Officers in place: 9171992 — Officers in place: 8921992 — Funded but unfilled: 1111993 — Officers in place: 8741993 — Funded but unfilled: 2431994 — Officers in place: 8801994 — Funded but unfilled: 2791995 — Officers in place: 8641995 — Funded but unfilled: 2101996 — Officers in place: 8311996 — Funded but unfilled: 2081997 — Officers in place: 7941997 — Funded but unfilled: 1771998 — Officers in place: 7761998 — Funded but unfilled: 1891999 — Officers in place: 7671999 — Funded but unfilled: 1922000 — Officers in place: 7722000 — Funded but unfilled: 1752001 — Officers in place: 7672001 — Funded but unfilled: 1892002 — Officers in place: 7792002 — Funded but unfilled: 2092003 — Officers in place: 7682003 — Funded but unfilled: 2322004 — Officers in place: 7662004 — Funded but unfilled: 2322005 — Officers in place: 7762005 — Funded but unfilled: 2112006 — Officers in place: 7992006 — Funded but unfilled: 2322007 — Officers in place: 8382007 — Funded but unfilled: 2292008 — Officers in place: 8842008 — Funded but unfilled: 2422009 — Officers in place: 9172009 — Funded but unfilled: 322010 — Officers in place: 9392010 — Funded but unfilled: 142011 — Officers in place: 9352011 — Funded but unfilled: 242012 — Officers in place: 9262012 — Funded but unfilled: 282013 — Officers in place: 9172013 — Funded but unfilled: 382014 — Officers in place: 8952014 — Funded but unfilled: 412015 — Officers in place: 8892015 — Funded but unfilled: 562016 — Officers in place: 9102016 — Funded but unfilled: 282017 — Officers in place: 9112017 — Funded but unfilled: 182018 — Officers in place: 9002018 — Funded but unfilled: 322019 — Officers in place: 9022019 — Funded but unfilled: 292021 — Officers in place: 8792021 — Funded but unfilled: 622022 — Officers in place: 8792022 — Funded but unfilled: 592023 — Officers in place: 8682023 — Funded but unfilled: 812025 — Officers in place: 8702025 — Funded but unfilled: 11519861990199419982002200620102014201820232025
Officers in placeFunded but unfilled

879 officers in 1986, 870 in 2025; the highest year is 2010. Each bar reaches the funded strength; the orange part is what stood empty on May 15. Years the survey was not run are left blank.

Work per officer and share of incidents solved

0 13 25 38 5019861990199419982002200620102014201820232025
Criminal Code incidents per officerWeighted clearance rate, per cent

Incidents per officer is the year’s Criminal Code incidents divided by officers in place. The clearance rate is the share of incidents solved, weighted by seriousness. Both are shown on one scale for convenience.

Year by year
YearIncidents per officerSeverity indexClearance ratePopulation per officer
2025 47.7 89.3 26.4 —
2023 44.9 87.7 27.7 —
2022 41.3 82.1 27.5 —
2021 39.2 76.9 29.3 —
2019 34.6 71.3 30.2 —
2018 32.3 64.5 35.9 —
2017 31.8 63.3 37.1 —
2016 34.6 69.5 35.6 —
2015 34.5 65.8 33.6 —
2014 33.0 62.4 35.9 —
2013 34.3 68.5 36.6 —
2012 34.4 68.0 34.6 —
2011 35.2 71.8 35.2 —
2010 36.6 78.7 35.3 —
2009 36.1 71.5 37.9 555
2008 36.4 71.1 41.1 573
2007 38.6 75.3 37.1 604
2006 39.2 73.1 37.2 638
2005 40.9 78.5 34.6 663
2004 42.9 79.3 33.2 675
2003 42.1 74.4 37.0 675
2002 40.1 71.4 35.3 667
2001 39.6 69.1 39.5 681
2000 40.2 70.1 38.0 684
1999 39.4 69.2 42.3 695
1998 41.0 76.4 41.9 696
1997 39.4 — — 694
1996 40.7 — — 674
1995 35.8 — — 657
1994 36.9 — — 653
1993 38.0 — — 664
1992 41.6 — — 650
1991 42.1 — — 632
1990 38.5 — — 639
1989 36.3 — — 643
1988 32.5 — — 636
1987 32.1 — — 628
1986 35.7 — — 656

Who does the policing, 2025

RNC St. John’s 318RNC Labrador 19RNC Corner Brook 43RCMP (derived) 490

Funded positions unfilled, by service

RCMP (derived)56 56
RNC St. John’s46 46
RNC Corner Brook10 10
RNC Labrador3 3

The RCMP is not reported as a separate service; its figures are the province less the three RNC regions.

Service figures in full
ServiceOfficersFundedUnfilledCivilian staffPer 100,000Net hired or lostEligible to retire
RNC, St. John’s region 318364 46 107 138 -8 5.7%
RNC, Labrador region 1922 3 5 177 0 0.0%
RNC, Corner Brook region 4353 10 8 126 — —
RCMP, provincial contract (derived) 490546 56 250 — — —
Province, all services 870985 115 370 158 ——

Officers by service, 2000 to 2025

0 238 475 713 9502000 — RNC St. John’s: 2532000 — RNC Labrador: 212000 — RNC Corner Brook: 392000 — RCMP (derived): 4592001 — RNC St. John’s: 2492001 — RNC Labrador: 222001 — RNC Corner Brook: 392001 — RCMP (derived): 4572002 — RNC St. John’s: 2472002 — RNC Labrador: 202002 — RNC Corner Brook: 402002 — RCMP (derived): 4722003 — RNC St. John’s: 2372003 — RNC Labrador: 222003 — RNC Corner Brook: 392003 — RCMP (derived): 4702004 — RNC St. John’s: 2462004 — RNC Labrador: 202004 — RNC Corner Brook: 372004 — RCMP (derived): 4632005 — RNC St. John’s: 2512005 — RNC Labrador: 182005 — RNC Corner Brook: 422005 — RCMP (derived): 4652006 — RNC St. John’s: 2722006 — RNC Labrador: 182006 — RNC Corner Brook: 412006 — RCMP (derived): 4682007 — RNC St. John’s: 2762007 — RNC Labrador: 222007 — RNC Corner Brook: 452007 — RCMP (derived): 4952008 — RNC St. John’s: 3032008 — RNC Labrador: 212008 — RNC Corner Brook: 452008 — RCMP (derived): 5152009 — RNC St. John’s: 3272009 — RNC Labrador: 152009 — RNC Corner Brook: 412009 — RCMP (derived): 5342010 — RNC St. John’s: 3252010 — RNC Labrador: 202010 — RNC Corner Brook: 392010 — RCMP (derived): 5552011 — RNC St. John’s: 3362011 — RNC Labrador: 222011 — RNC Corner Brook: 402011 — RCMP (derived): 5372012 — RNC St. John’s: 3362012 — RNC Labrador: 222012 — RNC Corner Brook: 442012 — RCMP (derived): 5242013 — RNC St. John’s: 3362013 — RNC Labrador: 212013 — RNC Corner Brook: 452013 — RCMP (derived): 5152014 — RNC St. John’s: 3262014 — RNC Labrador: 232014 — RNC Corner Brook: 472014 — RCMP (derived): 4992015 — RNC St. John’s: 3262015 — RNC Labrador: 212015 — RNC Corner Brook: 462015 — RCMP (derived): 4962016 — RNC St. John’s: 3422016 — RNC Labrador: 222016 — RNC Corner Brook: 452016 — RCMP (derived): 5012017 — RNC St. John’s: 3412017 — RNC Labrador: 202017 — RNC Corner Brook: 462017 — RCMP (derived): 5042018 — RNC St. John’s: 3262018 — RNC Labrador: 192018 — RNC Corner Brook: 422018 — RCMP (derived): 5132019 — RNC St. John’s: 3352019 — RNC Labrador: 222019 — RNC Corner Brook: 432019 — RCMP (derived): 5022021 — RNC St. John’s: 3462021 — RNC Labrador: 182021 — RNC Corner Brook: 402021 — RCMP (derived): 4752022 — RNC St. John’s: 3372022 — RNC Labrador: 192022 — RNC Corner Brook: 412022 — RCMP (derived): 4822023 — RNC St. John’s: 3292023 — RNC Labrador: 212023 — RNC Corner Brook: 402023 — RCMP (derived): 4782025 — RNC St. John’s: 3182025 — RNC Labrador: 192025 — RNC Corner Brook: 432025 — RCMP (derived): 4902000200420082012201620212025
RNC St. John’sRNC LabradorRNC Corner BrookRCMP (derived)

Each bar is the province’s officers that year, split by service. The Corner Brook region’s population served changes in 2025 with the area it covers.

Year by year, by service
YearRNC St. John’sRNC LabradorRNC Corner BrookRNC totalRCMP (derived)Province
2025 3181943 380 490 870
2023 3292140 390 478 868
2022 3371941 397 482 879
2021 3461840 404 475 879
2019 3352243 400 502 902
2018 3261942 387 513 900
2017 3412046 407 504 911
2016 3422245 409 501 910
2015 3262146 393 496 889
2014 3262347 396 499 895
2013 3362145 402 515 917
2012 3362244 402 524 926
2011 3362240 398 537 935
2010 3252039 384 555 939
2009 3271541 383 534 917
2008 3032145 369 515 884
2007 2762245 343 495 838
2006 2721841 331 468 799
2005 2511842 311 465 776
2004 2462037 303 463 766
2003 2372239 298 470 768
2002 2472040 307 472 779
2001 2492239 310 457 767
2000 2532139 313 459 772
What to know about these figures

Police staffing figures come from the Police Administration Survey, a census of every police service in Canada. Counts are taken as of May 15 of the survey year. The provincial figures cover the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary and the RCMP together; the service-level figures cover the three RNC regions only, because the RCMP provincial contract is not reported as a separate service. Any RCMP figure shown here is the provincial total less the three RNC regions and is marked as derived.

The survey was annual until 2019, was not collected for 2020, and has been conducted every two years since 2021. Years with no survey (2020 and 2024) are left blank rather than estimated.

The survey questionnaire was redesigned for 2018, adding and expanding content across most of the survey. Comparisons that cross 2018 should be read with that break in mind, particularly for civilian personnel and for hirings, departures, and retirement eligibility, which were added or expanded in the redesign.

Total policing expenditures and the per capita cost are shown in thousands of dollars, in the dollars of each year, and end in 2009. Statistics Canada moved police spending to a separate fiscal-year series after that date, so the absence of later values here does not mean spending stopped; it is reported elsewhere and will be added from that source.

The Crime Severity Index weights each reported offence by the sentences courts have handed down for it, so a rise in serious offences moves the index more than a rise in minor ones. It begins in 1998 and is set to 100 for Canada in 2006. The weighted clearance rate applies the same weights to solved incidents.

Authorized strength is the number of officer positions a service is funded to fill on May 15; the officer count is how many were actually in place on that date. The difference is the vacancy gap. Authorized strength is reported by the service and definitions varied before the 1990s.

The population served by each RNC region changes when policing boundaries change. The Corner Brook region population rises sharply in 2025 and its rate per 100,000 falls accordingly; the change reflects the area served, not a loss of officers. Read the officer count alongside the rate for that region.

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